COFFEY PICKS UP $3000 TURNING STONE CASINO FEATURE WIN,
HOMAN EARNS JOSHCOMP BONUS AND TAKES HOME $1,000 FOR A 20-LAP FEATURE

CANANDAIGUA, NY...Vic Coffey wanted to win this event very badly. He had been the first to request such an event, a 358-Modified Super DIRT Series at one of DIRT Motorsports' best Big Block tracks, Canandaigua Speedway. This request didn't fall of deaf ears. Last Wednesday, August 21, Coffey danced in victory lane on top of his Sweeteners Plus number 32c. Also picking up a victory that evening was Chad Homan. Homan, last Saturday's Pro Stock feature winner won back-to-back features and collected the Josh-Comp Bonus, now up to $800. This brought Homan's victory total to $1,000 for the night.

The 100-lap feature saw pole sitter Matt Sheppard take the early lead in the race over Todd Burley and outside pole man, Tim Fuller. The first of five yellows flew on lap four when Alan Johnson slowed on the front chute with a broken drive line. Johnson was recorded as the 30th place finisher of the 31 starters.

With just two more laps in the books, the yellow flew, lap six, when Billy VanPelt nearly flipped his number 12v in the third turn. He quickly recovered and joined the back of the pack.

Sheppard was now able to build a solid lead over first Fuller and later Coffey. Fuller, the fast timer for the night, began to fall back on lap 10 as Coffey took second. Steve Paine quickly followed to take third from Fuller. Paine challenge Coffey for second but lapped traffic was now a factor and Coffey played the lapped traffic to perfection.

Coffey closed the two second gap that Sheppard had developed and was now on Sheppard's rear nerf bar by lap 24. On lap 33 the yellow flew when fourth place runner Chuck Hebing, aboard the Danny Willmis number 66X, came to a stop in the second turn against the retaining wall. the restart saw Sheppard re-establish his lead by nearly two seconds over Coffey. Again Coffey closed the gap in lapped traffic. Coffey actually passed Sheppard at the start-finish line for the lead, by a nose, on lap 58. Sheppard regained the lead immediately the very next circuit. Coffey was persistent and took the lead for good on lap 65.

The yellow flew on lap 68 when Frank Caprara Jr. slowed on the front stretch. By now there were only eight cars on the lead lap. Karl Comfort was running in the "Syracuse Spot" when he pulled his number 10 into the pits on lap 80. The most controversial action in the race was now about to take place.

The yellow flew on lap 82 when Brett Hearn, who had been slowing and dropping back from third, had a right rear flat tire. He slow and the yellow flew. Hearn timed his pit stop and returned as the pack had received the one to go flag for a lap 86 restart. Hearn flew around to the back of the lead lap cars, passing numerous lapped cars before the green flag flew. He never passed the sixth place machine of Chad Brachmann until after the restart cone. His momentum shot him quickly back up to third by both Brachmann and Charlie Donk.

Coffey held off Sheppard in the waning laps and took the victory. Sheppard was followed by Hearn, Paine and Pete Bicknell. Donk's sixth place finish earned him the 358-Modified Sunoco Race Fuels 75 starting spot at Syracuse during Super DIRT Week XXXI.

In the accompanying DIRT Pro-Stock main event a heads up start off the heat races placed all of the fast cars to the front of the field. Chad Homan, who had won the first heat race, started on the pole and took the lead at the start of the 20-lap feature. Behind Homan a fierce battle for second saw Mike Cooper and Jon Miller racing side-by-side, with first Cooper taking second and later Miller taking the position.

The yellow flew only once in the race, that coming on lap two when Roger Chrysler hit the second turn wall. This incident earned Chrysler the $50 Josh-Comp Hard Luck Award for the night. Billy Brown earned the Josh-Comp Hard Charger Award after starting last and finishing tenth.

Homan held a 1.937 second lead at the checkers over Ortiz. Miller took third followed by Cooper and James Henry.

CANANDAIGUA BANTER: The question of tire softening came up following the impounding of a tire after the Black Rock Turning Stone Casino event on Tuesday night. It was announced at the drivers' meeting that officials would be on the look out for durometer reading that do not correspond to Hoosier Tire specifications....43 cars were on hand for the first ever 358-modified feature at the "Land of Legends". It was pointed out that Fred Arden was a 358-Modified champion at Canandaigua Speedway in 1996, the only year track points were given for the small block division. Even that year no special 358-modified race was run....Canandaigua Track points end on Labor Day Weekend. One race will remain after the week, September 14, 2002, when the Finger Lakes 100 for modifieds plus additional events for Mid-State Vintage racers, Pro-Stocks and Street Stocks will be staged.

This Saturday race time at Canandaigua Speedway will be at 7 p.m. sharp.

WALMART-TURNING STONE CASINO RESORT NIGHT SUMMARY

PRO-STOCK

HEAT 1: C. Homan, P. Hobbs, D. Conant Jr., P. Stefanski, D. Excell, C. Nugent.
HEAT 2: M. Cooper, J. Miller, J. Ortiz, B. Hallett, J. Henry, T. Chapman.

FEATURE (20-laps): CHAD HOMAN, Jipp Ortiz, Jon Miller, Mike Cooper, James Henry, Pete Stefanski, Bill Hallett, Dan Mayer, Lee Burnett, Billy Brown, Patrick Hobbs, Bob Bruno, Roger Chrysler, Dave Conant Jr., Chad Nugent, Derrick Excell, Scott Fremouw, DNS: Tiger Chapman.

358-MODIFIED

TIME TRIALS: Tim Fuller 18.487 (97.366 mph), Matt Sheppard 18.616, Pete Bicknell 18.692, Steve Paine 18.707, Brett Hearn 18.793, Vic Coffey 18.932, Pat Ward 19.010, Charlie Donk 19.052, Rich Swarthout 19.082, Todd Henderson 19.116, Chuck Hebing 19.157, Ron White 19.170, Alan Johnson 19.216, Jason Barney 19.280, Todd Burley 19.330, Frankie Caprara Jr. 19.393, John Moravec 19.394,  Ryan Baye 19.408, Fred Cade 19.416, Mike Ward 19.418, Alex Hoag 19.431, Chad Brachmann 19.491, Lance Dusett 19.512, Tom Sears Jr. 19.564, Ray Bliss, Jr. 19.569, Dave Rauscher 19.614, Danny Johnson 19.634, Kenny Johnson 19.635, Justin Haers 19.649, Rick Richner 19.654, Don Spatorico 19.689, Jason Boyle 19.709, Darryl Ruggles 19.848, Loren Lincoln 19.853, Karl Comfort 19.906, Jim LaRock 19.998, Robbie Krull 20.032, Billy VanPelt 20.068, Mike Jackson 20.082, Billy Cook 20.399, Fran Hilton 20.495, Gary Hotaling 20.500, Alan Willoughby 21.604.

HEAT 1: P. Ward, T. Burley, P. Bicknell, C. Hebing, K. Comfort.
HEAT 2: S. Paine, C. Donk, F. Caprara Jr., R. White, T. Sears Jr.
HEAT 3: B. Hearn, A. Johnson, R. Swarthout, J. Moravec, J. Haers.
HEAT 4: V. Coffey, R. Baye, C. Brachmann, R. Richner, L. Lincoln.
CONSI 1: F. Cade, M. Ward, D. Johnson, L. Dusett.
CONSI 2: D. Ruggles, B. VanPelt, R. Krull, J. Barney.
ADDED: A. Hoag.

FEATURE (100-laps): VIC COFFEY, Matt Sheppard, Brett Hearn, Steve Paine, Pete Bicknell, Charlie Donk, Chad Brachmann, Pat Ward, Rich Swarthout, Alex Hoag, Ryan Baye, Rick Richner, Loren Lincoln, Billy VanPelt, Justin Haers, John Moravec, Karl Comfort, Frankie Caprara Jr., Tim Fuller, Todd Burley, Mike Ward, Darryl Ruggles, Danny Johnson, Lance Dusett, Tom Sears Jr., Chuck Hebing, Robbie Krull, Jason Barney, Ron White, Alan Johnson, Fred Cade.